
Angel in Black
A Nathan Heller Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Dan John Miller
About this listen
Los Angeles. The City of Angels. The perfect place for a honeymoon… and the worst possible time for a murder.
Vacationing private investigator Nate Heller finds himself a suspect in the LAPD’s investigation of the notorious Black Dahlia murder case. Problem is the butchered starlet, Elizabeth Short, is an old Chicago flame of Heller’s — and only the P.I. himself knows she was blackmailing him for abortion money.
Classic noir at its finest blended to extraordinary effect with historical facts, Max Allan Collins’ Angel in Black crackles with tight plotting and razor-sharp dialogue. With the help of a world-weary, alcoholic Eliot Ness, Heller links the murder to a notorious Cleveland serial killer... while doing his best to stay out of jail and salvage his already troubled new marriage. Along the way he encounters Chicago boxer Barney Ross, fellow suspect Orson Welles, and zany gangster Mickey Cohen.“The characters, historical and fictional, come delightfully to life... Collins paints a web of interconnections in a tightly woven plot and posits a radical solution to a crime that still resonates in literature and movies.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
©2011 Max Allan Collins (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
True Detective
- A Nathan Heller Novel
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mayor Cermak’s “Hoodlum Squad” brings Heller along on a raid with no instructions but to keep his mouth shut and his gun handy, he becomes an unwitting, unwilling part of a hit on Al Capone’s successor, Frank Nitti. As a result, Heller quits the force to become a private eye. His first job: head off a nation-shaking political assassination in Miami Beach. With the Chicago World’s Fair as a backdrop, Heller encounters a ragtag array of crooks and clients, including Al Capone, George Raft, “Dutch” Reagan, and FDR himself.
-
-
THE "FORREST GUMP" OF FILM NOIR NOVELS
- By The Louligan on 12-27-13
-
Bombshell
- By: Barbara Collins, Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an attempt to soothe growing Cold War tensions between America and Russia, Premier Nikita Khrushchev visits the US to see all that his “enemy” has to offer. Top of his to-do list? A trip to Disneyland and an introduction to sexual icon Marilyn Monroe. Thanks to the impossible security requirements, Disneyland is out of the question. Marilyn, on the other hand, jumps at the chance to put on a show for the Russian official. During her appearance, she overhears the details of an assassination plot designed to spark an atomic holocaust and devastate both superpowers.
-
-
Unbelievably? entertaining
- By Shucks81 on 04-17-24
By: Barbara Collins, and others
-
I, the Jury
- By: Mickey Spillane
- Narrated by: Mike Dennis
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here's Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer in their roughest and readiest—a double-strength shot of sex, violence, and action that is vintage Spillane all the way. It's a tough-guy mystery to please even the most bloodthirsty of fans!
-
-
read this one for what it is
- By Midwestbonsai on 07-08-16
By: Mickey Spillane
-
The Baby Blue Rip-Off
- A Mallory Mystery
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Budding mystery writer Mallory was just trying to impress a politically correct girlfriend by delivering hot meals to little old ladies. The last thing he expected was to find his elderly charges such fascinating company, and when one sweet old gal meets an unexpectedly grisly fate, Mal sets out to find and stop the burglars who this time stole a life. The last thing the local sheriff needs, however, is a meddling civilian.
-
-
Great start to an overlooked detective series
- By ZUrlocker on 06-24-18
-
The Last Stand
- By: Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A tarnished former cop goes on a crusade to find a politician's killer and avoid the .45-caliber slug with his name on it. A pilot forced to make an emergency landing in the desert finds himself at the center of a struggle between FBI agents, unsavory fortune hunters, and members of the local Indian tribe to control a mysterious find that could mean wealth and power - or death.
By: Mickey Spillane, and others
-
Bait Money
- A Nolan Novel, Book 1
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The mob couldn’t kill him, the cops couldn’t catch him, and even time wouldn’t slow him down. His name’s Nolan...a shrewd, restless tough guy with a talent for theft. With a lifetime of heists under his belt and a bullet in his side, he’s ready to retire. And the Mafia’s eager to help him along...permanently. They think he’s got a debt to pay - with his life. But at all these years, they might be willing to settle for 100 grand instead. Nolan’s got to pull a bank job to try to save his ass.
-
-
Very good
- By Chris Haynes on 05-12-21
-
True Detective
- A Nathan Heller Novel
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mayor Cermak’s “Hoodlum Squad” brings Heller along on a raid with no instructions but to keep his mouth shut and his gun handy, he becomes an unwitting, unwilling part of a hit on Al Capone’s successor, Frank Nitti. As a result, Heller quits the force to become a private eye. His first job: head off a nation-shaking political assassination in Miami Beach. With the Chicago World’s Fair as a backdrop, Heller encounters a ragtag array of crooks and clients, including Al Capone, George Raft, “Dutch” Reagan, and FDR himself.
-
-
THE "FORREST GUMP" OF FILM NOIR NOVELS
- By The Louligan on 12-27-13
-
Bombshell
- By: Barbara Collins, Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an attempt to soothe growing Cold War tensions between America and Russia, Premier Nikita Khrushchev visits the US to see all that his “enemy” has to offer. Top of his to-do list? A trip to Disneyland and an introduction to sexual icon Marilyn Monroe. Thanks to the impossible security requirements, Disneyland is out of the question. Marilyn, on the other hand, jumps at the chance to put on a show for the Russian official. During her appearance, she overhears the details of an assassination plot designed to spark an atomic holocaust and devastate both superpowers.
-
-
Unbelievably? entertaining
- By Shucks81 on 04-17-24
By: Barbara Collins, and others
-
I, the Jury
- By: Mickey Spillane
- Narrated by: Mike Dennis
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here's Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer in their roughest and readiest—a double-strength shot of sex, violence, and action that is vintage Spillane all the way. It's a tough-guy mystery to please even the most bloodthirsty of fans!
-
-
read this one for what it is
- By Midwestbonsai on 07-08-16
By: Mickey Spillane
-
The Baby Blue Rip-Off
- A Mallory Mystery
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Budding mystery writer Mallory was just trying to impress a politically correct girlfriend by delivering hot meals to little old ladies. The last thing he expected was to find his elderly charges such fascinating company, and when one sweet old gal meets an unexpectedly grisly fate, Mal sets out to find and stop the burglars who this time stole a life. The last thing the local sheriff needs, however, is a meddling civilian.
-
-
Great start to an overlooked detective series
- By ZUrlocker on 06-24-18
-
The Last Stand
- By: Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A tarnished former cop goes on a crusade to find a politician's killer and avoid the .45-caliber slug with his name on it. A pilot forced to make an emergency landing in the desert finds himself at the center of a struggle between FBI agents, unsavory fortune hunters, and members of the local Indian tribe to control a mysterious find that could mean wealth and power - or death.
By: Mickey Spillane, and others
-
Bait Money
- A Nolan Novel, Book 1
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The mob couldn’t kill him, the cops couldn’t catch him, and even time wouldn’t slow him down. His name’s Nolan...a shrewd, restless tough guy with a talent for theft. With a lifetime of heists under his belt and a bullet in his side, he’s ready to retire. And the Mafia’s eager to help him along...permanently. They think he’s got a debt to pay - with his life. But at all these years, they might be willing to settle for 100 grand instead. Nolan’s got to pull a bank job to try to save his ass.
-
-
Very good
- By Chris Haynes on 05-12-21
-
Scarface and the Untouchable
- Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago
- By: Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Mystery Writers of America “Grand Master” - author of the gangster classic Road to Perdition, longtime Dick Tracy writer, and multiple Shamus Award winner - teams with an acclaimed rising young historian in this riveting, myth-shattering dual portrait of Al Capone, America’s most notorious gangster, and Eliot Ness, the legendary Prohibition agent whose extraordinary investigative work crippled his organization.
-
-
HERE ISTHE REAL STORY OF NESS AND CAPONE!!
- By Sandra J Sanders on 08-18-21
By: Max Allan Collins, and others
-
Quarry
- A Quarry Novel, Book 1
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Quarry doesn't kill just anybody these days. He restricts himself to targeting other hitmen, availing his marked-for-death clients of two services: eliminating the killers sent after them, and finding out who hired them…and then removing that problem, as well. So far he's rid of the world of nobody who would be missed. But this time he finds himself zeroing in on the grieving family of a missing cheerleader. Does the hitman's hitman have the wrong quarry in his sights?
-
-
The great Max Allan Collins
- By Bradley Paul Valentine on 09-25-16
-
Supreme Justice
- Reeder and Rogers Thriller
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
FBI agent Patti Rogers finds herself paired with the unpopular former agent on a task force investigating the killing of Supreme Court Justice Henry Venter. Reeder - nicknamed "Peep" for his unparalleled skills at reading body language - makes a startling discovery while reviewing a security tape: the shooting was premeditated, not a botched robbery. Even more chilling, the controversial Venter may not be the only justice targeted for death.
-
-
Good, but disappointing, political thriller!
- By Wayne on 07-20-16
-
The War of the Worlds Murder
- Disaster Series
- By: Max Allan Collins
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On October 30, 1938, rising radio star Orson Welles boondoggles the American public into believing that Martians have attacked Earth. With his clever adaptation of The War of the Worlds, the great showman proves he can get away with anything - maybe even murder. Minutes before the fictitious invasion goes live on the air, a dead body is found in the studio and the polarizing Welles is the obvious suspect.
-
-
Fun Thriller Expertly Narrated
- By Admiralu on 10-13-20
-
Eliot Ness and the Mad Butcher
- Hunting America's Deadliest Unidentified Serial Killer at the Dawn of Modern Criminology
- By: Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spirit of Devil in the White City comes a true detective tale of the highest standard: the haunting story of Eliot Ness' forgotten final case - his years-long hunt for "The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run", a serial killer who terrorized Cleveland through the Great Depression and tormented Ness to his dying breath.
-
-
Total disappointment!
- By Michael on 08-09-20
By: Max Allan Collins, and others
-
Killing Floor
- Jack Reacher, Book 1
- By: Lee Child
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He’s just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he’s arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn’t kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn’t stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.
-
-
Even if you have it GET THIS ONE!!
- By shelley on 10-30-15
By: Lee Child
-
The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam.
-
-
What a Terrific Book
- By Daniel McAfee on 08-01-08
By: Michael Connelly
-
The Big Sleep
- Philip Marlowe, Book 1
- By: Raymond Chandler
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A dying millionaire hires private eye Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, and Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.
-
-
I miss Ray Porter
- By Kindle Customer on 03-22-22
By: Raymond Chandler
-
Bullet for a Star
- Toby Peters Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Stuart M. Kaminsky
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hollywood, 1940: It's been four years since security guard Toby Peters got fired from the Warner Brothers lot for breaking a screen cowboy's arm. Since then he's scratched out a living as a private detective - but now his old friends, the Warners, have a job for him. Someone has mailed the studio a picture of Errol Flynn caught in a compromising position with an underage woman. Although Flynn insists it's a fake, the studio is taking no chances. Peters is to deliver the blackmailer 5,000 dollars and return with the photo negative.
-
-
Fun plot involving stars from the golden age of Hollywood
- By MKJ on 02-10-24
-
Deal Breaker
- The First Myron Bolitar Novel
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Suddenly Myron is plunged into a baffling mystery of sex and blackmail.
-
-
Deal Breaker
- By Lisa on 07-02-08
By: Harlan Coben
-
Skin Tight
- By: Carl Hiaasen
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This novel by Carl Hiaasen, author of Tourist Season and Native Tongue, begins as most thrillers do, with a killing. But this is no everyday, hum-drum, garden variety killing. Our hero, Nick Stranahan, a 42-year-old private investigator who has killed five men and been married five times, skewers his attacker's aorta with the razor-sharp bill of a stuffed marlin.
-
-
Skintight
- By Chris on 08-02-04
By: Carl Hiaasen
-
A Drink Before the War
- By: Dennis Lehane
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With novels like Mystic River and Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane has dramatically altered the landscape of the crime thriller—while boldly overstepping the boundaries that have long separated mystery from literature. Now two of his sensational early novels have been combined in a single volume—two gritty and mesmerizing masterworks of suspense featuring the private eye duo of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.
-
-
White Bread
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-30-12
By: Dennis Lehane
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Angel in Black
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stevon
- 10-02-22
fact and fiction
The book makes a case in point before the books starts that it is a work of fact and fiction. The author does a good job of weaving that fiction into the facts that are known. He come up with one solution as to what happened to the Black Dahlia and it seems plausible but it is a work of fiction so who knows. It does make for an interesting listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- The Dark Side
- 03-08-17
Angel in Black Noir Mystery
I have to confess I love All the Nathan Heller series by Max Allen Collins . Like all the great gritty detective heroes in the 49s and 50s he is a hard drinking . Love em and leave em type of guy. All the books revolve around some famous crime back then , or an event.
The the thing about Nat is he's very likable even as he's insulting you. These guys are gangsters and the women are dames . I believe anyone who enjoys these. Stereotyped books will love this book. It' occurs around the Black Dahlia murder. Don John Miller narrates this one and is perfect ,
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bill G
- 08-01-24
First Rate Detective Series
Nathan Heller is by far my favorite detective. The writing by Max Allan Collins and voices of Dan John Miller are the best ever!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. Allison
- 03-11-19
My first Heller book, and it won't be my last!
My first Heller book and consider me a convert if the other books are anything like this.
Being a fan of true crime, I am obviously interested in the Black Dahlia murder and this book does a great job of melding the reality with fiction. L.A. of the 1940s was truly Hollywood’s golden age and was a hotbed of now legendary characters, both famous and infamous, and it is highly entertaining to see these people interact. Even if your only knowledge of the period is the movie LA Confidential, many of the names will jump out at you. I liked the mix of fact and fiction, and I want to go back and refresh myself on the case, this book has certainly revived my interest in the subject. Having played LA Noire, it’s a case where characters I didn’t realise were real people (but probably should have) jump out at you. The entire writing style of the book is like a modern take on Raymond Chandler, your very classic hard-boiled detective but with a modern smoother flow. As a fan of detectives like Marlowe and Nero Wolf, this novel touches on a lot of my interests simultaneously.
The characters are well fleshed out and believable, with Nathan standing out strongly as a sympathetic yet flawed character, someone I will enjoy finding out more about because I fully intend to read the other books in the series.
The reader may be the most perfect match of reader to character that I’ve ever read, his astonishing array of voices are deeply impressive, and I am delighted to see he reads the other books too. He just brings the characters to vivid life and completely does justice to Nathan. I adored his reading style – from the wry humour, to the hardboiled tough guy, and all the way through the very distinct cast of other characters. Admittedly, his female voices are often quite funny but as a male reader, that’s just going to happen. His male voices are incredible though – the variety of voices and accents are a delight!
As a fan of true crime, LA Confidential and LA Noire, this book hit all the buttons and I really enjoyed it. Pair that with an exceptional reading and you have a real winner here.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Reader
- 06-27-23
Possibly My Favorite Of The Series
This not only a great historical fiction crime novel in a series of great historically fueled crime fiction, it is probably my favorite of the series, which says so much given how much I love the Nathan Heller novels by Max Allan Collins. The subject here is obviously one of true crimes biggest mysteries, and the sense of time and place, along with the wonderful characterizations and deep research regarding the case and the people make it an amazing read. Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Empress Karen
- 02-06-16
"Long Arm Of Justice"
Would you consider the audio edition of Angel in Black to be better than the print version?
yes, as a big fan of Dan John Miller, reader brings this series to life. If read, it would have been way too long. Dan gets you into this version of the crime. If you are new to this author, pick the story with characters you like and Dan will really get you into the story.
What did you like best about this story?
With the new 1.25x speed, the action and pace made a great match and moved the story along.
This is a gruesome murder, and author has a way with words that can take some of the creepiness out, but not all, so beware if you have a weak stomach.
Which scene was your favorite?
lots of clues if you can catch them. This is my first of 3 books I own in this series. #1 and Bye Bye story of Marylyn Monroe. I started with this story as it peaked my curiosity. I don't know much about this author as I purchased books due to Dan John Miller reading them.
This is great entertainment if you like noir type films/stories. Author weaves the 1920's and forward so well into a mystery. I can't wait to listen to the other stories I own.
Any additional comments?
I am a core Romance fan, see Nora Roberts Pagan Stone which Dan reads. This is his best for me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jim Fletcher
- 10-25-19
Black Dahlia Solved?
Always interesting with Miller's mix of historical fact and free use of fiction to complete his stories, Nate Heller finds himself personally invested in the infamous Black Dahlia murder. While the true crime story has yet to be solved, Nate through Dan John Miller's great delivery and Collins very cool take on the crime, we do get this version of a resolution of the crime. Along the way, Nate's good friend Elliot Ness shows up to help with the investigation. One of my favorite things about Miller's audio delivery aside from being the consummate Nate Heller is his spot on delivery as Elliot Ness in a voice inspired by the TV Ness Robert Stack. This is a great entry into the Nate Heller series. Enjoy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brandon
- 03-23-15
Best story since the Nitti Trilogy
This was easily my favorite Nathan Heller novel since the original Frank Nitti Trilogy.
I would definitely recommend reading it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!